


textbook enigmatic

by bored_blogger



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Episode AU: The Day of the Doctor, Episode Fix-It: The Day of the Doctor, Episode: The Day of the Doctor, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-12
Updated: 2020-09-12
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:01:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26428264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bored_blogger/pseuds/bored_blogger
Summary: Remember when The Day Of the Doctor aired, and I was mad for a lot of reasons that had nothing to do with TenRose, but my brain came up with a TenRose ficlet anyway? 7 years ago was a different time.
Relationships: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler
Comments: 2
Kudos: 41





	textbook enigmatic

**Author's Note:**

> Remember when The Day Of the Doctor aired, and I was mad for a lot of reasons that had nothing to do with TenRose, but my brain came up with a TenRose ficlet anyway? 7 years ago was a different time.

“Bad Wolf Girl, I could kiss you!”

“Sorry, did you say 'Bad Wolf'?“ at this moment time usually stops, right? This is how it always happens. But, no, he can’t dwell on this, she is happy in her parallel universe with the man who used to be him.

"The interface”, elaborates the War Doctor. “It said it took a form of someone called Rose Tyler, or Bad Wolf.”

“Hi!” he hears her voice and slowly turns around. Here she is, Rose Tyler (or something that looks like her), smiling and waving at him. No, it’s not right.

“You’re not real”, he says and adds quieter, “You’re never real.”

Her smile fades a little bit.

“I’m a product of your memory. Very sophisticated interface taking the form of a very important person in your life.”

“Interfaces tend to do this,” mutters the other Doctor, the one with the bow tie.

“You’re not real. You’re not her," he keeps repeating, like he needs to remember this, to hold on to his sanity, to nip in the bud this glimmer of hope. And yet, he subconsciously steps closer to her.

“You sacrificed the chance to be with her for the sake of her happiness.”

“Yes, I remember that, thank you,” he snaps, because the wounds are still fresh, all the loss and devastation and grief. How long will it take to move on from this? To forget?

“Your song is ending,” she suddenly says.

“I’ve heard that one before,” he shivers a little bit.

“And you will hear it again.”

“Textbook enigmatic, aren’t you?”

She smiles, “Look who’s talking.”

And it’s almost like back in the old days, teasing smiles and happiness, but it’s not. Because it isn’t her, it’s only a substitute, a fake.

“She’s happy, you know,” not-Rose Tyler says.

He doesn’t answer.

Suddenly the interface is throwing her arms aroung him, and he is hugging her back. It is almost familiar, and he desperately wants it to be true. It’s not. But nevertheless he doesn’t want to let her go.

She is the one who steps back.

“My work here is done. It’s time for me to go. Goodbye, my Doctor!” it is directed at all three of them, but she looks only at the one in the brown suit. Then she vanishes.

“Always the good-looking ones who does that, eh?” asks his future self, sadly smiling.

“Yeah.”

**Author's Note:**

> I do not think that this ficlet is memorable enough for people to immediately connect it to my tumblr account where I posted it back when it was relevant, but if you did, no, you didn't ♥


End file.
